Die set comprising punches operable in a direction which has an angular relationshipwith the direction of motion of the ram



3,021 TION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. I FREDERICK Q. MILLER Y ,i wmw9 wl ATTORNEYS F. O. MILLER UNCHES OPERABLE IN A DIREC R RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DIRECTION OF MOTION OF THE RAM ,Ti-+-- "J'- DIE SET COMPRISING P WHICH HAS AN ANGULA Feb. 20, 1962 Filed Feb. 20, 1958 3,021,741 RECTION THE F. O. MILLER Feb. 20, 1962 DIE SET COMPRISING PUNCHES OPERABLE IN A DI WHICH HAS AN ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP WITH DIRECTION OF MOTION OF THE RAM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 1958 INVENTOR. FREDERICK O. MILLER Y 42 W vwdiglr ATTORNEYS Feb. 20, 1962 F. o. MILLER 3,021,741

DIE SET COMPRISING PUNCHES OPERABLE IN A DIRECTION WHICH HAS AN ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DIRECTION OF MOTION OF THE RAM Filed Feb. 20, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 6

INVENTOR. FIG 5 (8 FREDERICK o. MILLER ZZWWMMV'W ATTORNEYS Feb. 20, 1962 F. DIE SET COMPRISING PUNC o MILLER 3 021,741

9 HES OPERABLE IN A DIRECTION WHICH HAS AN ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE Filed Feb. 20, 1958 DIRECTION OF MOTION OF THE RAM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. FREDERICK O. MILLER ii, Mv-MM ATTORNEYS lull 3,021,741 DE SET COWRISEWG PUNCIES OPERABLE IN A DIRECTIGN WHZCH HAS AN ANGULAR RE- LATEGNSEIP WITH THE DIRECTEON F M0- TION OF THE RAM Frederick 0. Miiier, I267 Passolt Sh, Saginaw, Mich, assignor of one-haif to Louis N. Miller, Saginaw, Mich. Fiied Feb. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 716,480 Ciainns. (Ci. 83-618) This invention relates to die sets for use in punch presses and the like and more particularly to an improved die set capable of performing several operations simultaneously upon molded plastic work pieces.

Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention is particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of molded refrigerator door liners formed of material such as polyethylene, styrene, and the like and which must be trimmed to size and provided with openings therein to accommodate means for securing the liner to a refrigerator door and to enable attachments to be fixed to the liner. Heretofore, it has been necessary in many instances to place a molded refrigerator liner or the like between a set of shearing dies and then transfer the trimmed liner to another press fitted with punches. In most, if not all, refrigerator liners, holes must be punched in the liners in both vertical and lateral directions and it has been customary heretofore to provide separate die sets for the vertical and lateral punching operations. The necessity of providing multiple sets of dies has entailed considerable expense not only insofar as the cost of the dies is concerned, but also because of the time lost in having to transfer a work piece from one punch press to others.

Various kinds of die sets have been proposed heretofore which are adapted to operate upon a work piece in both vertical and horizontal directions, but none of the known die sets is adapted to trim a work piece in addition to performing the other two operations. Moreover, known die sets of the kind adapted to translate vertical movement of the dies into lateral movement of a punch or the like rely upon sliding cams to effect the desired result, The use of sliding cams is objectionable from at least two points of view, namely, the cost of machining and other operations necessary to produce the cams, and the Wear to which the cam surfaces are subjected during operation of the apparatus. Another objection to known cam actuated die mechanisms resides in the reliance, at least in part, upon springs and similar devices to extract a punch from its co-operating die after a work piece has been pierced. In the use of apparatus of this kind, it is not unusual for a punch to bind or stick within the Work piece or the die because of the nature of the material being operated upon or due to some slight misalignment of the punch and its die. If the punch should stick, then there is considerable likelihood of damage either to the punch or to the die, or both, upon operation of the press to separate the parts of the die set.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved die set construction adapted to trim an article such as a molded refrigerator door liner and pierce the latter in a number of directions in the same operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide positive actuating means to project and retract punches from their associated dies.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a die set construction of the kind referred to in which the actuation of the lateral punches is effected by link means of simple and inexpensive construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the following description when it is considered in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a die set constructed in accordance with the invention, certain parts being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the die set shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating a vertical punch;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating a toggle link actuating device for operating a pair of lateral punches;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating a single lateral punch operated by a link mechanism;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating apparatus similar to that shown in FIGURE 6 except that the lateral punch is arranged to be actuated along a non-horizontal line;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating a pair of lateral punches operated by a link device; and

FIGURE 9 is a top plan view of an intermediate member which is interposed between the plates ofthe die set.

A die set formed in accordance with the invention is designated generally in the drawing by the reference character 1 and comprises an upper or ram plate 2 having one or more rods 2a bolted or otherwise fixed to the plate (see FIGURE 2) and adapted to secure it to the platen of the press for movements therewith. Movements of the ram plate 2 towards and away from the work supporting bed or base plate 3 may be guided by guide posts or pins 4 secured at their lower ends to suitable supports 5 fixed on the bed plate 3 and adapted to have their upper ends received in co-operable guide openings 6 in the ram plate 2. If desired, the openings 6 may be provided with conventional bushings 7.

Fixed in any suitable manner to the bed plate 3 is a die block indicated generally by the reference character 8 and including a base 9 from which upstanding side walls 10 extend. The inner surfaces of the die block 8 are so formed as to enable a work piece W such as a plastic liner for a refrigerator door to be supported by the block 8 in a positionto be trimmed and pierced by apparatus yet to be described. Preferably, the upper ends of the side walls 10 are so constructed as to provide a part of the shearing apparatus.

To the lower surface of the ram plate 2 is secured as by welding or the like a shearing member 11 which has a configuration in plan corresponding to the configuration of the die block 8, but being slightly larger than the latter so as to enable the die block to be telescoped within the shearing member 11 upon movement of the ram plate 2 towards the base plate 3. The shearing member 11 is so constructed that upon telescoping movement of the parts 8 and 11, the adjacent surfaces of these parts will shear flashing from the flanges F of the work piece W so as to trim the work piece to size.

Interposed between the plates 2 and 3 is an intermediate plate or member 12 having a plurality of openings therein for a purpose presently to be explained. As is best shown in FIGURES 1 and 9, the intermediate member 12 has a number of laterally projecting parts 15 which extend through openings 16 in the shearing member 11. Secured to the under surface of the parts 15 are a plurality of blocks or stops 13 which depend from the plate and are adapted to bear against co-operating stops 14 fixed to the upper surface of the bed plate 3. Alternatively, the blocks 13 and 14 could be consolidated into single elements and secured either to the plate 3 or to the member 12.

At various places the intermediate member 12 may be provided with countersunk openings 17 (see FIGURE 3) in which headed bolts 18 slideably may be received. The ram plate 2 may be provided with threaded openings for reception of the threaded ends of the bolts 18 by means of which the intermediate member 12 is carried by the ram plate 2 in such manner as to enable the parts 2 and 12 to move downwardly together until such time as the stop means 13 and 14 arrests downward movement of the intermediate member 12. Upon the arresting of downward movement of the member 12, the ram plate 2 will be capable of downward movement relative to the member 12 until such time as the lower surface of the plate 2 strikes the upper surface of a. number of stop posts 19 having their lower ends mounted on the bed plate Preferably, the upper surface of the intermediate member 12 is recessed in a number of places as at 19a (see FIGURE 3) for reception of a plurality of springs 20 which bias the member 12 in such direction as to assist gravity in maintaining the plate 2 and the member 12 in spaced apart relation. At various points the ram plate 2 is provided with downwardly extending guide pins 21 which have their lower ends received in openings 22 formed at corresponding places in the intermediate member 12 to guide the movements of the latter relative to the plate 2.

At any desired number of places, Work fabricating means, such as punches, for piercing a work piece W inthe plane of movement of the ram plate 2 may be provided and in each instance the punch means may comprise, for example, a post 23 (see FIGURE 4) secured at its upper end to the lower surface of the ram plate 2 and being fitted at its lower end with a punch 24 of known construction. Below each punch 24 the die block 8 will be equipped with a die 25 adapted to co-operate with the punch 24, and the bed plate 3 will be provided with an opening 26 through which a slug from the work piece W may be discharged. 7 7

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 9, the illustrated intermediate member 12 is provided with three openings therein identified by the reference characters 27, 28, and 29. Considering firstly the opening 27 and referring to FIGURE 5, the opening 27 accommodates a post 30 secured at its upper end to the lower surface of the ram plate 2. At the lower end of the post 30 is secured a pivot pin 31 on which is pivotally mounted a pair of links 32. Welded or rigidly secured to the lower surface of the intermediate member 12 is a pair of slide housings 33, the housings being arranged on opposite sides of the opening 27 in the member 12. Mounted within each housing 33 is a reciprocable slide 34 and corresponding ends of the slides are pivotally connected to the links 32 by means of pins 35. The opposite end of each slide 34 is fitted with a work fabricating device such as a punch 36. Opposite each of the punches 36 the walls 10 of the die block 9 are provided with openings 37 adapted to receive the associated punch 36.

Considering now the opening 28 and referring to FIG- URE 6, a post 38 having its upper end rigidly secured to the lower surface of the ram plate 2 extends through the opening 28 and carries at its lower end a pivot pin 39 on which is pivotally mounted a link 40. At one side of the opening 28 the member 12 has rigidly secured to its lower surface a slide housing 41 similar to the housings 33 and in which is slideably mounted a slide 42. One end of the slide 42 is pivotally connected to the link 40 by means of a pin 43 and its other end is fitted with a punch 44 adapted to be received in a die opening 45 in the wall 10 of the die block 8.

Referring now to FIGURE 7, the opening 28 also may accommodate a post 46 secured at its upper end to the lower surface of the ram plate 2 and carrying at its lower end a pin 47 on which is pivoted a link 48. The lower surface of the member 12 adjacent to the opening 28 may have welded or otherwise secured thereto a housing 49 in which is slideably mounted a slide 50 pivotally connected at one end by means of a pin 51 to the link 48 and equipped at its other end with a punch 52 adapted to be received in a die opening 53 formed in the wall 10 of the die block 8. The devices shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 are generally similar to one another, but dilfer in that the slide 42 is adapted to be reciprocated along a path substantially normal to the plane of movement of the ram plate 2, whereas the slide 50 is adapted to be reciprocated along a path which lies at an angle less than to the plane of movement of the ram bed 2. In con nection with the slide 51 and its associated punch 52, the inner surface of the wall of the die block 8 should be so formed as to be substantially perpendicular to the plane of movement of the punch 52. Such an arrangement is shown at 10a in FIGURES 1 and 7.

Referring now to FIGURE 8, the opening 29 is of such size as to accommodate a post 54 comprising a pair of spaced blocks 55 secured at their upper ends to a plate 56 which, in turn, may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the lower surface of the ram plate 2. The lower ends of the blocks 55 may be rigidly secured to a bar 57 on the opposite ends of a pair of pivot pins 58. Pivoted on each of the pins 58 is one end of a link 59 and the other end of each. of the links is pivoted as at 60 to a slide 61 mounted for reciprocating movements in a housing 62 which may be welded or otherwise fixed to the lower surface of the member 12. The other end of each of the slides 61 is fitted with a punch 63 adapted to be received in an opening 64 in the wall 10 of the die block 8.

To condit on the apparatus for operation, the ram plate 2 is connected to the ram or platen of a punch press or the like and the bed plate 3 is connected to the bed of the press in the usual manner. The press then may be operated to raise the ram plate 2 and the movement of the latter will be transmitted to the intermediate member 12 via the bolts 18 so as to enable a work piece W to be interposed between the upper and lower portions of the die set in readiness to be operated upon by the punches of the d'es. If desired, the bots 18 may be replaced by flanges at the lower ends of the posts 30, 38, 46 and 55 which may underlie the edges of corresponding openings in the member 12.

When the work piece has been positioned between the dies, the ram of the press may be actuated to lower the ram plate 2 and the intermediate member 12. Conjoint movement of the members 2 and 12 will co-nt'nue until such time as the stop blocks 13 on the member 12 engage the blocks 14 on the bed plate 3 at which point the downward movement of the intermediate member 12 ceases. Downward movement of the ram plate 2, however, continues under the influence of tie ram and against the force of the springs 20 until such time as the lower surface of the ram plate 2 bears against the upper surfaces of the stop pillars 18. During the downward movement of the ram plate 2 relative to the intermediate member 12 the vertical punches 24 will pierce the bottom wall of the work piece W and the posts or blocks 30, 38, 46, and 54 will be moved downwardly relatively to the slide housings 33, 41, 3?, and 62, respectively. The relative movement of the post 30, the slide housings 33, and the member 12 will actuate the toggle links 32 to project the slides 34 and their associated punches 36 toward the walls 10 of the die block 8 to pierce the walls of the work piece W. Movement of the block 38 relative to the slide housing 41 and the member 12 will cause movement of the link 40 to project the slide 42 and its associated punch t4 towards the wall 10 so as to pierce the side wall of the work piece W. Similarly, the slides 50 and 62 are projected towards the walls of the die block 8 in response to relative downward movement of the ram plate 2 and the intermediate member 12 so as to enable the punches 52 and 63 to pierce the walls of the work piece W. The movement of the ram plate 2 towards the bed plate 3 also enables the shearing member 11 and the upper edge of the die block 8 to co-operate to trim flashing from the work piece.

When the ram of the press has completed its downward travel, the work piece W will have been trimmed to the size of the die block 8 and will have been pierced both vertically and laterally in accordance with the number and arrangement of the vertical and lateral punches. In this connection, it is pointed out that the number and arrangement of the vertical and lateral punches shown in the drawings are illustrative only, and that the arrangement and number of the punches employed may vary greatly.

Upon the completion of the forming operations, the ram of the press may be actuated to raise the ram plate 2. Raising of the ram plate 2 will cause movement of the latter relative to the intermediate member 12 and the bed plate 3 until such time as the heads of the bolts 17 engage the bases of the counterbores 19a in the intermediate member 12, or until the flanges on the link carrying posts engage the member 12, whereupon the plate 2 and the intermediate member 12 will move upwardly conjointly. During the initial upward movement of the ram plate 2 the vertical punches 24 will be withdrawn from the die block 8 and the work piece W and the several links 32, 40, 48, and 59 will be actuated to effect positive withdrawal of the associated lateral punches from the die block 8 and the work piece W. The relative movement of the ram plate 2 and the intermediate member 12 will be assisted by the springs 20, but it is important to note that the withdrawal of the lateral punches from the die block and the work piece is not dependent solely on the springs. As a result, there is no possibility of the lateral punches sticking either in the die block or in the work piece and the likelihood of damage to the punches, the die block, or the work piece is eliminated.

The provision of lateral slides and link means for actuating the slides enables considerable savings to be effected since these parts can be manufactured much more quickly and cheaply than can parts such as cams or the like. The inexpensiveness of these parts of the apparatus coupled with the ability of the die set to trim and punch, both vertically and laterally, a work piece in one operation of a single machine materially decreases the cost of manufacturing such articles such as plastic refrigerator door liners or the like.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A die set comprising a work supporting base member; a ram plate; means for moving said ram plate in directions toward and away from said base member; guide means reacting between said member and said plate to guide the movements of the latter; an intermediate member interposed between said base member and said ram plate; lost motion means connecting said intermediate member solely to said plate for sequential movement of said intermediate member concurrently with and relative to said plate arresting means interposed between said base member and said intermediate member for engagement therebetween in response to concurrent movement of said plate and said intermediate member toward said base member to arrest further movement or" said intermediate member toward said base member, said lost motion means permitting further movement of said ram plate toward said base member and relative to said intermediate member upon the arresting of movement of the latter; work fabricating means movably supported by said intermediate member for movement laterally of the directions of movement of said ram plate; and link means positively interconnecting said fabricating means and operable solely in response to relative movement of said ram plate and said intermediate member to move .said fabricating means relatively to said intermediate member.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 including cooperable shearing means carried by said ram plate and said base member operable to shear a workpiece located therebetween.

3. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said work fabricating means is supported on said intermediate member for movements in a plane substantially normal to the directions of movement of said ram plate.

4. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said work fabricating means is supported on said intermediate member for movements in a plane less than removed from the directions of movement of said ram plate.

5. The construction set forth in claim 1 including second work fabricating means mounted on said ram plate for movements therewith in the directions of movement of said ram plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,520 Hughes Sept. 20, 1932 1,920,303 Grotnes Aug. 1, 1933 1,986,063 Kaseberg Jan. 1, 1935 2,371,565 Whistler et al Mar. 13, 1945 2,594,552 Granberg Apr. 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,857 Great Britain Sept. 23, 1876 

